Entries From Kilimanjaro 7-30-12

Everyone has made it to Arusha, Tanzania! A few of the team arrived early and the rest of us just flew in. It’s a loooong trip from the USA! All of our baggage is here so tomorrow we’ll check the gear and pack up for our Kilimanjaro ascent.

Today was our fist full day together as a team. We started the day with a leisurely breakfast, a discussion of the trip itinerary and then a gear check. After lunch most of the team went into Arusha to do some shopping and sight seeing. Now we have finished dinner and are getting ready for an early departure for Kilimanjaro. We’ll check in again from our first camp tomorrow.

Jambo!
I am checking in from Machame Camp at 9,800’, our first camp on Kilimanjaro. We arrived about two hours ago and have been relaxing in our dining tent. The hike today was very smooth as we got a nice early start and didn’t have any delays at the Machame Gate (5,990’), our entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park. We were in the clouds all day and that kept the temps cool and perfect for walking. It was a great start to the trip!

We are on the trail to Shira Plateau, our second camp on Kilimanjaro. Last night was calm and clear with a full moon and today we’ve been above the clouds all morning. The trail is busy with climbers from all over the world but our team was ready to go early this morning so we’re ahead of the pack. We got our first view of the upper mountain today and we’re all suitably impressed.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Hi there! This is the Kilimanjaro team checking in from our high point today at 15,200 ft. All is well on the trail. The altitude is kicking in but we’re all adapting. This afternoon we are going to drop back down a few thousand feet to Barranco Camp. Tomorrow we will tackle the steepest portion of our trek; the Barranco Wall.

We’re on the way to high camp on Kilimanjaro! The sun is out and it’s a beautiful day. We’ll be on the trail for about three hours today and then we’ll begin our final prep for the summit push. If all goes well we should be on top of Kilimanjaro within 24 hours!

Jambo! We have descended past high camp and are on our way to our last camp, Mweka. The summit was beautiful with zero wind and sunny skies. We topped out on Stella Point at sunrise and reached Uruhu Peak one hour later. As we descended a cloud layer built over the mountain and we’re currently getting snowed on. We’re all looking forward to a nice rest.

We’re back at the hotel!!! We awoke early this morning and everyone was psyched to get on the trail. The thought of a hot shower and a cold beer was all it took to motivate the group.

After a wrap up ceremony with our crew we dispatched with the last few thousand feet of Kilimanjaro in 2.5 hours. Our truck met us at the national park gate and delivered us to the Dik Dik hotel. Everyone is now prepping for a celebration dinner. Safari starts tomorrow!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

This is Seth checking in from the shores of Lake Manyara. We have officially started our safari! We had a nice morning at the hotel. Then said goodbye to Matt, who is headed home, and drove out to the edge of the Great Rift Valley. Once in the national park we started our game viewing with what Eddie calls ‘bamboons’. We’ve also seen elephants, water buffalo, giraffes and many others. It’s a great warm up for our visit to Ngorongoro crater tomorrow.